Couple questions about Pico lights...
I am looking at doing a project that requires what I counted as 18 Pico Cool white lights. Correct me if I am wrong on what I need but I was thinking...
2 x Pico 10 pack LEDs
1 x DIY Brickstuff Connecting cables 5pack
2 x 1:9 Expansion Adapter with Micro Plugs
And a power source? Thinking the PF adapter since the project already has a PF battery box?
Can i just hook the power source to the expansion adapter, then connect the adapters together and plug the lights in?
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Hi Shane, thanks for your question! Your lineup above looks correct with one possible suggestion-- the DIY cables have bare wire ends on one end (and plugs on the other end). If you're planning to make your own extension cables and are good with soldering wires, then the DIY cables will work for you. If you'd like to get some pre-made cables instead (with plugs on both ends), then any of our extension cables (not DIY) will work. We have these in 1.5", 6", 12", and 24" 4-packs, and the 6" and 12" cables in 10-packs as well.
For power, yes you can use the PF power source. Everything will connect as you mentioned. I'm attaching a cheat sheet that shows various ways to connect Pico LEDs-- this should help validate your setup. One configuration the diagram does not show is connecting two 1:9 adapters end to end, but this will work fine using any of our extension cables.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Thanks again!
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Rob,
Thanks for the quick reply, also thanks for pointing the DIY caveat. One other thing I was wondering if the Pico lights fit under 1x1 trans tiles as well as they do under 1x1 trans plates?
Thanks
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Shane Limbach Hi Shane, it is possible to fit the Pico LEDs between studs under a 1x2 or larger tile, but on a 1x1, there really isn't any space. One possible alternative (if you have the room in your build) is to place the 1x1 tile on top of a headlight brick, then put the Pico LED inside the headlight brick. Not sure if this will work for your setup though. Just an idea!
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I dont think it will be a big deal, right now I have 1x1 round trans clear tiles on my model, but i do have the ability to change them out for 1x1 round trans clear plates, similar to how the ferris wheel is wired up!
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Rob Klingberg Rob, Are there premade extensions for the Pico connectors? I see the Pico cables come in a standard 12inch.
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Shane Limbach Hi Shane, the Pico connectors are meant to connect over short distances, to a connecting adapter board that converts the plug from a micro plug into a standard plug, which is used by the rest of our system. Once you connect a Pico cable to an adapter board with standard-sized connectors, you can use any of our standard connecting cables (1.5", 6", 12", and 24") to extend throughout the system. Hopefully this makes sense-- if not let me know!
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Rob Klingberg Rob, it does make sense, my only concern is that some designs lend themselves better to placing the adapter boards in one location, such as under the hood/trunk of a car, and running the Pico lights to different areas of the model. This comes into play especially when you have lots of lights you would need to run to 1 small but dense area. If you have any design tips they would be much appreciated. I would refer to your expertise as I am fairly new to the lighting game!
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Shane Limbach Hi Shane, this is the main reason we created 4-port and 9-port breakout adapters for Pico LEDs. Using these, you can put the high-capacity adapter close to where you need to concentrate your Pico LEDs (the trunk of a car, for example), connect the Pico LEDs directly to the high-capacity adapter, then use a single connecting cable to run back to the "home" or "trunk" feed close to the power source. We created a diagram that shows some of the connection options for Pico LEDs-- I'm referring to the BRANCH15 and BRANCH10 adapters in the drawing when I say high-capacity adapters.
Does this diagram help a bit? Please let me know, thanks!
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Rob Klingberg Rob, do you carry anything shorter than 12inch cool white Pico's?
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Shane Limbach Officially we don't, but let me know if you'd like different lengths on that 10-pack of cool white LEDs you ordered today-- I can find time this week to whip them up.
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Rob Klingberg Thank you for the offer. The order I placed earlier is kind of a trial and error mish mash of what I am needing, something to get me started with lighting my own models. For right now I would like the 10pk to be full length. As I experiment I will let you know if there are better sizes that would work better. Also, please expedite that order! Haha. I appreciate the help you have provided thus far!
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Shane Limbach Roger that! Happy to help in any way we can.
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Rob Klingberg Got my order today! Just curious if you use something special to "stick" the 4 port boards to LEGO? Similar to what was done on the ferris wheel arms.
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Shane Limbach Hi Shane, we include self-adhesive sticky squares with many of our product variants (starter kits, Pico LED 2-packs, etc.). This is what was used to attach the controller boards to the Ferris Wheel arms. We plan to put these up on our website for sale soon-- in the DIY section. Stay tuned!